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CloaurUU,R.C.  k*^  - 
Saloon  ZvecAjOLue  • 


C&e  Lifcrarp 

of  t$»e 

Onitoersitp  of  iftortb  Carolina 


Collection  ot  jRottf)  Carolmiana 
<TO0  boob  toag  presented 


Call  to  the  United 
States 

A 

Second  Mecklenburg 

Declaration 
OF 

Incidence 

July  5th,  1904. 


It  Helps    Business  and    is  a 
Blessing' 


What  Leading  Business  Men,  Bankers,  Farm- 
ers, Laborers  and  Others  S&y  About 

PROHIBITION 

in  Charlotte,  N.  C. 


Issued  by  Executive  Committee  of    Anti- 
S,  loon  League,  of  Charlotte,   N.  C. 


At  the  earnest  request  of  many 
people  all  over  the  country  I  pub- 
lish this  second  edition  Feb'y  4th, 
1908. 

Heriot  Clarkson 
Chairman. 


OFFICE    OF     EXECUTIVE     COMMIT- 
TEE 

of  Anti-Saloon  League. 

Charlotte,  N.  C.,  July  5,  1905. 
Heriot  Clarkson,  Chairman. 
Dr.   Jas  R.  Alexander, 
E.   T.   Cansler, 
J.    A.    Durham, 
J.  D.  McCall, 
A.  J.  McKelway, 
Dr.   C.   G.  McManaway, 
Frank   R.    McNinch, 
T.  M.   Shaw, 
J.   H.   Wedding-ton, 
Jno.  J.  Williams. 

TO    THE    PUBLIC: 

On  July  5th,  1904,  the  saloon  was 
voted  out  of  Charlotte  by  a  majority 
of  485.  It  was  a  victory  against  the 
saloon  system  and  the  liquor  habit, 
not  against  the  saloon  man.  Many 
of  those  who  were  in  the  business 
have  stayed  in  Charlotte  and  are  up- 
holding the  law  and  pushing  the  busi- 
ness interests  of  the  city.  We  bid 
them  God-speed  in  this  and  wish  them 
success.  We  appeal  to  all  good  citi- 
zens to  uphold  the  law,  to  discourage 
the  importation  of  liquor  and  by 
word  and  deed  to  help  this  great 
,  cause.  Prohibition  is  a  benediction 
Sand'a  blessing  to  this  community. 
^  Respectfully, 

"n  EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE  OF  ANTI- 
"^         SALOON  LEAGUE. 


To  the  Public: 

I  hand  you  herewith  a  booklet  show- 
ing what  the  leading  business  men, 
bankers,  farmers,  laborers  and  others 
say  about  Prohibition  in  Charlotte; 
the  subs'tance  of  each  testimony  is, 
"That  it  helps  business  and  is  a  bless- 
ing." Prohibition  went  into  effect  on 
January  1st,  1905,  in  the  City  of  Char- 
lotte. The  majority  against  the  sa- 
loons was  485,  the  election  having  ta- 
ken place  on  July  5th,  1904.  The  Re- 
corder's Court  shows  that  the  total 
number  of  arrests  for  1904,  the  last 
year  whiskey  was  sold,  was  2,405,  and 
during  the  year  of  1905,  the  first  year 
Prohibition  went  into  effect,  1,496,  a 
decrease  of  909  arrests  the  first  year 
Prohibition  went  into  effect.  I  have 
lived  in  the  city  since  1S72.  I  have 
known  the  city  from  a  small  village  to 
now  when  it  is  one  of  the  finest  indus- 
trial and  educational  centers  in  this 
section  of  the  South,  having  a  popula- 
tion of  about  thirty-five  thousand.  Prop- 
erty has  increased  in  value  in  Charlotte 
from  10  to  20  per  cent,  since  Prohibi- 
tion went  into  effect,  and  never  in  the 
history  of  Charlotte  has  there  been  so 
much  building.  On  the  20th  of  May, 
1906,  there  was  a  great  celebration  of 
the  Mecklenburg  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence. There  was  never  such  an  as- 
semblage in  the  City  of  Charlotte,  and 
the  universal  expression  was  that 
"there  never  was  such  a  sober  and  or- 
derly crowd  gathered  in  this  section 
of  the  South."  A  learned  Judge  in 
North  Carolina,  who  was  against  Pro- 
hibition, and  who  saw  the  good  order 
that  prevailed  at  that  celebration,  de- 
clared   that    he    was    about    convinced 


that  Prohibition  "prohibited."  The 
prosperity  of  the  city  has  never  been 
greater.  Merchants  have  been  greatly 
benefited  as  they  have  gotten  money 
that  once  went  to  the  saloon.  The 
wage-earner  and  laboring  man  is  put- 
ting his  money  in  the  Building  and 
Lean  Associations,  and  in  the  Sav- 
ings Banks.  This  section  has  wonder- 
fully developed  the  Cotton  Mill  Indus- 
tries. The  Cotton  Mill  owners  and  the 
Cotton  Mill  operatives  have  been  in 
opposition,  as  a  rule,  to  the  saloon,  and, 
in  my  opinion,  as  Solicitor  of  this 
Twelfth  Judicial  District,  comprising 
the  Counties  of  Mecklenburg,  Gaston, 
Lincoln,  Cabarrus  and  Cleveland,  the 
greatest  Cotton  Manufacturing  Coun- 
ties in  the  South,  the  work  of  Prohibi- 
tion has  done  wonders  and  untold  ben- 
efit to  the  mill  owner  and  the  opera- 
tives, and  all  sorts  and  conditions  of 
men.  In  one  County,  Gaston,  twenty- 
five  years  ago  there  were  about  three 
Cotton  Mills,  and  about  forty-eight  dis- 
tilleries and  many  saloons;  but  today 
in  Gaston  County  there  are  fifty  Cot-. 
ton  Mills  in  operation,  and  about  ten 
in  construction,  and  not  a  legalized  dis- 
tillery or  saloon  in  the  County.  Just 
recently,  in  Lincolnton,  where  Prohibi- 
tion has  been  enforced,  there  was  a 
gathering  of  some  twenty  thousand 
people  at  a  Fourth  of  July  celebration, 
and  th-j  papers  commented  on  the  fact 
that  never  was  such  a  sober  and  order- 
ly crowd  gathered  in  Lincoln  County. 
I  write  from  long  years  of  experience 
in  watching  the  liquor  traffic,  and  I 
give  it  as  my  opinion  that  Prohibition, 
when  the  law  is  enforce  1,  is  the  great- 


est  blessing  that  can  be  given  to  any 
community.  Asheville,  N.  C,  has  a 
population  of  about  28,000.  On  Octo- 
ber 9,  1907,  it  went  dry  by  three  to 
one.  A  leading  Attorney  of  that  city 
gave  the  following  statistics  in  the 
contest  there.  In  the  same  month 
Asheville  had  432  cases  and  388 
drunks,  Winston  440  cases  and  220 
drunks — Charlotte  133  cases  and  19 
drunks — Asheville  and  Winston  wet 
and  Charlotte  dry. 

I  hope  to  live  to  see  the  day  when  the 
saloon,  "the  blot  on  the  garment  of 
our  Country,"  will  be  wiped  away. 

This  Febv.  15,  1908. 

Respectfully, 
HERIOT  CLARKSON, 
Chairman    of   the   Anti-Saloon   League 
of  Charlotte,  N.   C. 

What  the  Secretary  and  Treasurer  of 
Highland  Park  Mfg.  Co.'s  two  mills, 
the  largest  cotton  mills  in  the  coun- 
ty, says : 

Prohibition  has  been  a  benefit  to 
Charlotte  and  its  vicinity,  and  busi- 
ness has  not  been  injured  by  Prohi- 
hibition.         CHAS.  W.  JOHNSTON. 


What  Captain  J.  M.  Davis,  one  of  the 
largest  land  owners  and  farmers  in 
the  County  says: 

You  asked  me  to  give  some  expres- 
sion of  my  opinion  as  to  the  working 
of  Prohibition.  I  live  out' in  the  .coun- 
try, a  short  distance  from  town,  as 
you  are  aware.  A  man  came  out  from 
one  of  the  machine  shops  the  other 
evening  to  buy  a  cow.  I  asked  him 
if  he  had  noticed  any  change  on  the 
labor     since     the     saloons     had     been 


closed.  "La,"  he  said,  "I  didn't  think 
anything  could  have  been  done  to 
bring  about  such  a  change;  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  (150)  hands  are  em- 
ployed in  the  foundry  and  the  super- 
intendent had  a  great  deal  of  trouble 
before  the  closing  of  the  saloons,  es- 
pecially on  Mondays.  Many  complain- 
ed of  being  unable  to  work,  and 
caused  a  terrible  confusion  in  the 
shops.  Since  the  closing  of  those 
dens  no  trouble  about  sick  men  on 
Mondays.  Everything  is  running 
smoothly,  and  those  who  were  always 
out  of  money  seemingly  have  plenty." 
Some  time  ago  I  sold  stock  to  one  or 
two  colored  men  in  Charlotte  for 
draying.  In  a  few  months  the  stock 
was  looking  badly;  didn't  think  they 
could  pull  through  till  time  of  pay- 
ment. Pretty  soon  the  saloons  were 
closed  and  the  stock  began  to  improve. 
In  asking  one  of  them  what  caused 
the  great  improvement  on  his  horse, 
he  said  when  the  saloons  were  open 
he  spent  about  four  (4)  dollars  per 
week  there,  now  he  couldn't  do  that, 
and  now  the  four  dollars  went  for 
horse  feed,  etc.  The  best  all-round 
hand  I  think  I  ever  had  was  a  man 
that  was  so  often  unfit  for  work  on 
Monday  I  had  to  discharge  him;  since 
the  closing  of  the  places  referred  to,  he 
is  all  •  ight.  (Sober  man.)  The  Pro- 
hibition laws,  properly  administered, 
will  enable  hundreds  of  men  in  Char- 
lotte, and  also  in  the  surrounding  coun- 
try, in  ten  (10)  years  to  have  homes 
paid  for  and  happy  families.  Drink- 
ers of  water — wells  of  their  own  dig- 


ging,  otherwise,  they  will  never  own 
a  cow — an  animal  so  much  coveted 
by  the  poor  wife.  Any  one  to  do  or 
stand  in  the  way  of  bringing  about 
a  reformation  that  all  people  should 
earnestly  desire  ought  to  be  ashamed 
of  themselves.  J.  M.  DAVIS. 


What   a    man    says   who   works    in   the 
foundry: 

I  have  been  with  the  Mecklenburg 
Iron  Works  for  33  years.  Prohibition 
has  helped  Charlotte.  Among  the 
laboring  men  whom  I  associate  with 
I  can  see  a  great  improvement  and 
it  has  been  a  great  help  to  the  masses. 
W.  E.  CULPEPPER. 


What  a  merchandise   broker  says: 

I  think  Prohibition  is  the  best  thing 
ever  happened  for  Charlotte.  It  has 
not  hurt  business,  and  the  people  in 
general  are  contented  with  it. 

N.    J.    SHERRILL. 


What     a     large     and     popular     grocer 
says: 

Prohibition  has  not  hurt  my  busi- 
ness and  in  May  and  June,  1905,  I 
sold  25  per  cent,  more  than  in  any 
other  year  for  the  same  months. 

W.  I.  HENDERSON. 


What  a  large  contractor  says:     i 

I  am  a  contractor  and  building  is 
going  on  in  Charlotte  and  suburbs  and 
my  business  has  not  been  hurt  by 
Prohibition  and  in  fact  helped.  Labor- 
ers are  scarce  to  get  and  good  prices 
are  paid.  J.  D.  FOARD. 


What  a  farmer  and  gin  man  says: 

I  live  in  Paw  Creek  Township.  Pro- 
hibition has  been  a  blessing.  People 
used  to  come  home  from  Charlotte 
drinking  and  cursing  along  the  public 
roads,  and  now  all  that  is  stopped. 
Some  few  individuals  I  know  who 
were  regular  sots  now  come  home 
sober  from  Charlotte  and  it  has  helped 
many  to  my  personal  knowledge. 

I.  T.  ABERNATHY. 


What  a  good  farmer  says: 

I  live  in  Charlotte  Township.  I  see 
men  coming  home  sober  from  Char- 
lotte now  that  used  to  come  home  un- 
der the  influence  of  liquor  when  there 
were  saloons.  I  do  not  hear  now  any 
profane  swearing  on  the  highway. 
It   is   a   blessing. 

W.  B.  CALDWELL. 

What  a  doctor  and  representative 
from  Mecklenburg  County  says: 
Prohibition  has  made  a  marked  im- 
provement on  the  County.  When  the 
saloons  were  in  Charlotte  negroes  and 
others  would  leave  the  city  and  on 
their  way  home  drink  and  curse  to  the 
annoyance  of  the  good  citizens.  I  have 
not  seen  a  person  drunk  in  the  coun- 
try since  Prohibition  has  gone  into  ef- 
fect. H.  Q.  ALEXANDER. 


What    a    large    farmer   and    Justice    of 
the  Peace  says: 

Before  Charlotte  went  dry,  on  Satur- 
day nights  when  the  train  came  out 
from  Charlotte  the  persons  who  had 
been  drinking  and  cursing  on  it  would 
get  off  and  blackguard  and  curse  until 


10 


midnight.  Now  all  this  is  changed 
since  Charlotte  went  dry,  and  as  a 
Justice  of  the  Peace  I  have  only  issued 
one  warrant  since  Charlotte  went  dry. 
It  has  helped  the  country  more  than 
Charlotte,  as  the  country  has  no  police 
protection  and  drinking  fellows  took 
advantage  of  it.      JNO.  P.  HUNTER. 


Once    a    Saloon. 
Rent  of  store  property  increased: 

Since  Prohibition  went  into  effect 
store  room  No.  10  North  Tryon  has 
increased   in   rent  from   $700   to   $900, 


11 


and  store  room  No.  12  N.  Tryon  from 
$700  to  $900.  Large  increase  in  rent- 
al value  of  two  stores  (formerly  sa- 
loons) on  corner  of  West  Trade  and 
College    streets. 


What     a     large     and     influential     mer- 
chant says: 

People  talking  about  city  going  dry 
hurts  the  city  is  all  bosh.  In  my  six- 
teen '  years  experience  I  have  never 
had  as  good  business  as  I  have  had 
during  the  first  six  months  of  Prohi- 
bition. Besides  I  have  especially  no- 
ticed that  my  cash  sales  have  almost 
doubled.  Also  rents  from  city  proper- 
ty have  increased  30  per  cent. 

H.  G.  LINK. 


Mr.    F.    M.   Shannonhcuse,   Recorder  of 
the  City,  says: 

Mr.  F.  M.  Shannonhouse,  Recorder 
of  the  city,  says  that  crime  has  de- 
creased about  two-thirds;  and  the  gen- 
eral result  of  Prohibition  has  made  it 
a  great  deal  easier  for  the  officials  of 
the  citv  to  maintain  law  and  order. 


What  Mr.  W.  S.  Alexander,  general 
Manager  of  the  Southern  Real  Es- 
tate, Loan  and  Trust  Company,  says: 

That  business  since  the  first  of  the 
year  has  been  very  satisfactory,  and 
that  in  his  opinion  there  has  been  more 
real  estate  transfers  this  year  since 
Prohibition  has  gone  into  effect,  than 
for  the  same  period  of  1904. 


12 


What  Messrs.  J.  Arthur  Henderson  & 
Bro.,  real  estate  dealers  and  collec- 
tors of  rents,  say: 

That  it  has  helped  considerably  the 
collection  of  rents;  and  collection  of 
rents  has  been  better  than  ever  be- 
fore; that  transfers  in  real  estate  have 
been  at  least  one-third  more  than  in 
1904  in  our  business. 


What     Mr.     Thomas    T.    Allison,     real 
estate     manager     of     the     Southern 
States    Trust    Company,    says: 
That  values  have  not  decreased  and 
that  demands  for  homes  and  real  es- 
tate   investments    have    been    greater 
since   January    1st    than    at    any    time 
■prior  in   the  history  of  the   city. 

What  a  dealer  in  vegetables,  etc.,  says: 
I  am  a  trucker  and  sell  vegetables 
and  produce.  Since  Prohibition  went 
into  effect  I  have  sold  at  least  10  per 
cent,  more  of  the  produce  I  handle, 
and  my  business  has  never  been  bet- 
ter. H.  H.  RHYNE. 


What  a  grocer   in  the  suburbs  says: 

I  am  a  dealer  in  all  kinds  of  grocer- 
ies and  since  Prohibition  went  into 
effect  my  business  is  25  per  cent,  bet- 
ter; this  records  includes  when  I  was 
at  my  old  stand  and  present  stand. 
J.  A.  SOFLEY. 

What  a  good   man  and  farmer  Says: 

I  am  a  farmer  in  Steel  Creek,  and  I 
can  see  a  big  improvement  in  the 
country  since  Prohibition  went  into  ef 
feet.  It  was  the  best  thing  that  ever 
happened    for    my    section.      Colored 


13 


hands  come  home  from  Charlotte  now 
sober  with  provisions  and  clothing  in- 
stead of  liquor  and  it  has  been  a  great 
improvement  to  our  white  citizens 
that  drank.  J.  S.  DIXON. 


What    a    Charlotte    lady    said    for    Pro- 
hibition: 

A  good  woman  whose  husband  stop- 
ped drinking  said  that  before  it  seemed 
like  she  lived  in  hell,  but  now  in  heav- 
en. She  says  Prohibition  is  the  cause 
of  her  happiness. 


What   a   country    Merchant   says: 

I  am  a  merchant  and  do  business  at 
Sandifer,  in  Mecklenburg  County.  Pro- 
hibition in  Charlotte  has  helped  my 
section.  It  is  much  more  pleasant  to 
attend  to  business,  drunken  men  are 
not  annoying  me  as  they  were  before 
Prohibition  went  into  effect  and  the 
public  road  is  less  frequented  with 
people  drinking. 

S.     M.    HENDERSON. 


What     an     old     and     influential    citizen 

says: 

Prohibition  has  been  a  grand  success 
in  Charlotte;  far  beyond  what  we  ex- 
pected. S.  H.  HILTON. 


What  a  splendid  farmer  says: 

Pn  hibition  has  done  more  for  Prov- 
idence Township  than  for  any  ward 
in  the  City  of  Charlotte.  It  has  been 
a  great  blessing  to  Providence  Town- 
ship. On  Saturday  the  negroes  would 
get  together  and  send  to  Charlotte  for 


14 


liquor,  and  on  Sunday  there  would  be 
regular  rows.  Now  such  conditions 
do  not  exist.  When  we  send  negroes 
to  Charlotte  we  have  no  fear. like  we 
once  had,  that  they  would  come  back 
drunk  with  something  broken  or  unat- 
tended to.  L.  H.  ROBINSON. 


What  a  good  farmer  says: 

Prohibition  has  helped  Crab  Orchard 
Township.  People  who  once  came  to 
town  and  drank  and  came  back  under 
the  influence  of  liquor  now  come  home 
sober.  It  is  a  blessing  not  only  to  the 
men,  but  to  their  families. 

R.  L.  STINSON. 


What  a  good  man  and  Farmer,  and  one 
who  runs  a  country  mill,  says: 
I  live  in  Long  Creek  Township.    Pro- 
hibition in   Charlotte   has   helped   our 
section.      Not    as    much    drinking    on 
Saturday  evening  as  there  used  to  be. 
J.  S.  WHITLEY. 


What  the  President  of  the  Little-Long 
Co..  large  Department  Stores,  says: 
In  my  estimation  Prohibition  has  not 
hurt  the  business  interests  cf  Char- 
lotte. Our  business  for  the  first  six 
months  of  the  year  shows  a  satisfac- 
tory increase  over  corresponding  six 
months  previous  year. 

J.  H.  LITTLE. 


What   the    cashier   of   the    Comrr.jrcial 
National    Bank  says: 

In  my  opinion,  based  upon  observa- 
tion and  contact  with  the  business 
interests  of  the  city  including  bank 
and    Building    and    Loan    Association 


15 


transactions,  the  business  prosperity 
and  best  interests  of  the  city  have 
been  in  no  way  injured  by  the  closing 
of  the  saloons;  but,  on  the  contrary, 
the  diverting  into  other  channels  of 
the  money  formerly  spent  for  liquor 
has  been  of  inestimable  advantage  to 
our  community. 

A.    G.    BREXIZER. 


What  a  leading  farmer  says: 

In  the  Hopewell  section  we  notice  a 
great  benefit  since  Charlotte  has  been 
under  Prohibition.  Parties  who  us- 
ually come  home  intoxicated  now 
come  home  sober.  We  can  send  our 
hands  to  town  without  the  fear  of 
them  coming  home  drunk  and  running 
the  mules  to  death. 

R.    S.    BARNETT. 


What   leading  furniture  dealers  say: 

Prohibition  has  been  in  force  since 
January  1,  1905,  and  by  comparison 
we  find  that  our  business  has  increas- 
ed from  twenty  to  twenty-five  per  cent, 
over  -same  period  last  year. 

Prohibition,  from  a  financial  stand- 
point, has  proved  •  a  good  investment 
for  us. 

Our  dealings  with  our  trade  has  been 
more  pleasant  and  satisfactory  than 
last  year.       HERRING  &  DEXTOX. 


What  an  excellent  man  and  dairyman 
says: 

From  the  viewpoint  of  a  dairyman 
I  nan  say  that  my  business  has  grown 
steadily  since  January  1,  1905. 

I  am  of  the  opinion  that  Prohibition 


16 


has    benefited   most   lines   of   business 
in  Charlotte.  C.  C.  MOORE, 

Proprietor  Double  Oaks  Dairy. 


What  a  large  merchant  in  Huntersville 

says: 

Prohibition  in  Charlotte  has  also 
had  its  effect  in  our  town.  A  number 
of  people  do  not  go  to  Charlotte  so 
often  as  they  formerly  did  and  do  not 
return  heme  in  the  same  condition  as 
before  when  they  do  go.  Drunks  are 
less  frequent  and  business  is  not  hurt. 
J.   L.  CHOATE. 


What   large   retail   grocers  say: 

Prohibition  has  not  hurt  the  busi- 
ness interests  of  Charlotte  and  our 
trade   is   better  than   before. 

SARRATT   &   BLAKELY. 


What  an  influential  trucker  and  farmer 

says: 

Prohibition  has  been  a  benefit  to  the 
country.  No  drinking  ami  cursing 
along  the  public  highway  of  negroes 
and  others  coming  from  Charlotte  un- 
der the  influence  of  liquor  like  there 
once  was.  F.  S.  NEAL. 


What  a  prominent  young  farmer  says: 
Prohibition    has    been    an    improve- 
ment to  the  country.     No  drinking  as 
there  once  was. 

C.   H.   CALDWK.  -L. 


What    a    good    man,    the    President   of 
the  Y.   M.  C.  A.,  and   assayer  of  the 
United   States    Mint,   says: 
As  to  the  effect  of  Prohibition  in  the 


Once  a  Saloon, 
trial  which  Charlotte  has  enjoyed  the 
last  six  months,  I  beg  leave  to  say  that 
my  observation  is  that  the  young  men 
appear  to  have  received  its  protection 
to  a  gratifying  extent;  in  only  one  case 
have  I  seen  a  young  man  intoxicated 
during  the  six  months,  and  the  boys 
have  evidently  been  spared  the  temp- 
tation to.  drink-  almost  entirely.  Unless 
I  greatly  err  in  my  judgment  both 
young  men  and  boys  have  shown  great- 
er steadiness  and  activity  in  religious 


18 


matters  during  this  period.    The  result 
has  surpassed  my  expectations. 

The  testimony  of  the  country  people 
given  'to  me  has  been  nearly  uniform, 
that  men  coming  to  town  have  been 
largely  spared  the  allurement  to  drink, 
and  many  women  have  expressed  to  me 
their  gratification  that  the  head  of  the 
family  may  now  come  home  sober  to 
his  family,  and  without  annoyance  to 
them  as  formerly.  My  house  and  my 
office  are  on  main  thoroughfares  to  the 
country,  and  my  opportunities  for  ob- 
servation are  good.  I  have  seen"  fewer 
cases  of  intoxicated  country  people  re- 
turning home  from  Charlotte,  than  in 
former  years. 

But  the  strongest  indication  of  the 
beneficient  results  of  the  abolition  of 
the  drink  traffic  appear  in  the  constant 
prosperity  of  the  retail  stores,  and 
their  larger  gross  sales,  as  I  am  in- 
formed is  the  case;  if  this  information 
be  correct,  then  the  families  of  our 
working  population  must  be  better 
nourished,  fed  and  clothed  than  under 
the  old  order  of  things,  when  the  earn- 
ings, the  time,  and  the  strength  of  our 
workers  was  dissipated.  I  have  no  rea- 
son to  regret  the  change. 

The  community  certainly  owes  its 
thanks  to  our  vigilant  officials  for  mak- 
ing Prohibition   possible. 

GEORGE  B.  HANNA. 


What  R.  B.  Alexander,  a  large  renter 
says: 

Before  Prohibition  went  into  effect 
the  heads  of  several  families  whom  I 
knew  worked  hard  all  week  for  money 


19 


enough  to  get  on  a  big  drunk  Saturday 
night,  come  home  and  raise  a  big  rack- 
et in  the  family.  When  the  saloons 
were  open  the  roads  were  full  of 
drunken  men  reeling  home  to  sleep  off 
a  debauch  or  run  the  family  away  from 
home.  Since  Prohibition  closed  the  sa- 
loons no  more  such  sights  are  seen, 
instead,  men  who  were  never, known  to 
come  home  sober  said  they  started 
home  long  before  sun-down  feeling 
strange  coming  home  in  daylight  walk- 
ing straight  and  in  their  mind. 

The  small  stores  in  the  suburban 
portion  of  town  are  in  a  more  prosper- 
ous condition  than  ever  before.  The 
real  estate  in  which  I  am  interested 
also  pays  a  larger  per  cent  than  for- 
merly and  I  have  no  vacant  houses,  all 
rented;  a  thing  that  I  never  had  be- 
fore. R.  B.  ALEXANDDER. 


What  a  large  hardware  man,  Secre- 
tary and  Treasurer  Southern  Hard- 
ware Co.,  says: 

Prohibition  in  Charlotte  is  a  success, 
and  will  always  be  as  long  as  the  laws 
are  enforced  as  they  are  at  the  pres- 
ent. Of  course,  some  few  people  are 
able  to  obtain  whiskey  and  drink  it, 
but  the  great  majority  who  drank  at 
open  bars  can  not  get  it  and  are  forced 
to  do  without  it. 

From  a  business  standpoint,  I  think 
the- town  is  better  off,  and  from  a  moral 
standpoint  it  is  bound  to  be.  better.  If 
there  was  no  whiskey  sold  within  one 
hundred  miles  of  the  city  Prohibition 
in  Charlotte  would  be  more  effective 
than  it  is.  A.  C.  HUTCHISON. 


20 


Once    a    Saloon. 
What    the    President   of   the    Magnolia 

Cotton  Mill  says: 

Looking  back  for  the  last  six  months 
and  comparing  this  period  with  the 
same  length  of  time  of  the  year  1904, 
I  have  noticed  a  decided  improvement 
among  the  cotton  mill  operatives  which 
I  attribute  largely  to  having  Prohibi- 
tion in  our  city.  I  have  noticed  that  a 
majority  of  those  in  families  where  one 
or  more  formerly  used  a  great  portion 
of  their  wages  to  buy  liquor  have  bet- 
ter clothes  and  present  a  more  respect- 
able ap]  earance  than  when  bar-rooms 
held  sway. 

Also  the  fact  has  been  impressed  on 
me  that  the  employes  of  my  mill  draw 
less  money  between  pay-days  now  than 
they  did  twelve  months  ago.  I  find  also 
that  they  are  at  work  more  regular  and 
are  mere  agreeable  to  get  along  with. 
I  also  notice  that  when  we  had  bar- 
rooms in  Charlotte  a  great  many  cotton 
mill     operatives     s: ent     their     wages 


21 


drinking  and  carousing  around  and  of- 
tentimes were  locked  up;  whereas  they 
now  go  home  Saturday  evenings  sober 
and  jolly  with  their  arms  full  of  goods. 
Any  person  who  may  say  Prohibition 
is  not  a  great  help  to  the  unfortunate 
poor  laboring  men  certainly  has  no 
love  for  his  fellow,  and  but  very 
little  for  himself. 

A.   C.   SUMMERVILLE. 


What  the  popular  and  beloved  Ex- 
Mayor,  Peter  Marshall  Brown,  says: 
Having  been  Mayor  of  Charlotte  four 
years,  I  took  a  deep  interest  in  the 
moral  and  material  welfare  of  the  city 
and  I  am  satisfied  that  Prohibition  has 
been  a  great  benefit  to  the  industrial 
as  well  as  the  moral  up-building  of  the 
citv.  P.  M.  BROWN. 


What  T.  M.  Alexander,  an  excellent 
and  prominent  working  man,  says: 
I  have  lived  in  Charlotte  many  years 
and  know  what  the  conditions  have 
been  as  regards  drunkenness.  I  have 
watched  with  interest  the  effect  of 
Prohibition  on  the  working  man,  and  I 
can  say  thankfully,  that  while  drunken- 
ness caused  more  working  men  to  lose 
their  situations  and  their  families  to 
suffer,  than  any  other  cause  in  this 
city,  such  conditions  have  almost  dis- 
appeared. The  working  people  seem 
more  ambitious  to  prosper,  to  own 
their  own  homes,  and  make  life  a  suc- 
cess than  before  the  inauguration  of 
Prohibition,  and  not  only  this,  but  the 
whiskey  drinkers  among  this  class 
who  were  incurables  have  left  the  city 
(these  being  few  in  number)   and  the 


22 


morals  of  the  industrial  classes  has 
been  thereby  improved.  Two  years  ago 
employers  could  not  be  assured  from 
one  day  till  another  that  part  of  their 
workmen  would  not  be  out  drunk,  neg- 
lecting business.  Today  a  workman 
rarely  gets  many  chances  of  retaining 
a  situation  when  he  drinks,  the  result 
is  better  workmen  and  a  better  class  of 
citizenship.         T.  M.  ALEXANDER. 


What  one  of  the  Police  and  Fire  Com- 
missioners say: 

Prohibition  has  not  hurt  the  business 
interests  of  Charlotte.  Property  is 
selling  higher  than  before  and  rents 
are  good.  J.  K.  WOLFE. 


What  a  good  doctor  at  St.  Peter's  Hos- 
pital says: 

Prohibition  has  made  a  decided 
change  in  the  number  of  alcoholic 
troubles  here  in  this  short  time  and  T 
feel  sure  that  a  longer  trial  will  de- 
velop a  longer  story. 

GEO.    W.    PRESSLY. 


Helps    everybody,    says    a    prominent 

Printer: 

Prohibition  has  been  a  God-send  to 
the  average  working  man  of  Charlotte, 
inasmuch  as  the  temptation  has  been 
taken  away  from  him,  and  therefore,  in 
my  observation  on  Saturdays,  the 
money  heretofore  spent  in  the  saloons 
go  into  the  grocery,  furniture  house, 
meat  markets  and  into  other  legitimate 
and  honorable  channels,  thereby  carry- 
ing happiness  in  the  home  and  the 
countrv  at  large. 

JOHN   M.   GRAHAM. 


What  W.  G.  Ross,  a  leading  liveryman, 
says: 

I  was  for  seven  years  prior  to  my 
going  in  business  for  myself  the  man- 
ager for  Mr.  J.  C.  Cochrane's  livery 
and  feed- stable.  He  employed  and  I 
had  under  me  about  eight  hands,  and 
each  Saturday  after  paying  off,  about 
one-half  would  get  drunk  and  not  turn 
up  for  business  for  a  day  or  so.  Now 
all  that  is  changed.  I  bought  cut  the 
Cochrare  stables  and  have  been  run- 
ning Iheni  myself  and  I  have  not  had 
a  negro  absent  since  Prohibition  went 
into  effect  on  account  of  whiskey.  Pro- 
hibition has  helped  my  business  in 
many  other  ways.  W.  G.  ROSS. 

For  W.  G.  ROSS  &  CO. 


What     a     leading     farmer     in     Sharon 
says: 

Numbers  of  men  in  our  neighborhood 
who  I  know  were  good  men,  would 
come  to  Charlotte,  and  I  knew  they 
did  not  want  to  get  drunk,  but  were  led 
into  temptation  by  the  open  saloons. 
Since  Prohibition  none  of  these  men 
have  I  seen  drunk  and  they  come  home 
sooner.  One  lady  told  me  that  she  had 
spent  the  happiest  months  of  her  life 
since  Charlotte  went  dry. 

W.  R.   ALEXANDER. 
GREAT    ANNIVERSARY    RALLY    OF 
PROHIBITION   VICTORY. 

At     Vance     Park,     July     5th,     at    8:15 
O'clock,  P.  M. 

Program. 
Meeting    will    be    presided    over    by 
Hon.  S.  S.  McNinch,  Mayor. 


24 


Announcements  made  by  Mr.  Heriot 
Clarkson,   chairman. 

Invocation  by  Rev.  Francis  Moore 
Osborne. 


Choir  of  young  ladies  will  open  by 
singing  "My  Country '  'Tis  of  Thee," 
and  close  by  singing  "Carolina,  Caro- 
lina." 

"MY  COUNTRY,  'TIS  OF  THEE." 


My  Country!   'tis  of  thee, 
Sweet  land  of  liberty,  of  thee  I  sinj 
Land    where   my   fathers    died, 
Land   of  the  Pilgrim's   pride, 
From    every    mountain    side, 
Let  freedom  ring. 

My  native  country,  thee, 
Land  of  the  noble,  free, 
Thy  name  I  love; 
I  love  thy  rocks  and  rills, 
Thy  woods  and  templed  hills; 
My  heart  with  rapture  thrills 
Like  that  above. 

Let  music  swell  the  breeze, 
And  ring  from  all  the  trees 
Sweet   freedom's  song; 
Let  mortal  tongue  awake; 
Let   all   that   breathe   partake; 
Let  rocks   their  silence  break, 
The  sound  prolong. 

Our  fathers'  God!    to  Thee, 

Author   of   liberty, 

To  thee  we  sing, 

Long  may  our  land  be  bright 

Wltih    freedom!' s    holy    light; 


Protect  us  by  thy  might, 
Great  God,  our  King! 

Short    eight    minutes    talks    will    be 
made  by  the  following  gentlemen: 


Charlotte  a  Model  City  under  Prohi- 
bition, Rev.  G.  W.  Belk. 

The  Growth  of  Charlotte  Under  Pro- 
hibition, Mr.  M.  B.  Spier. 

What  Prohibition  has  done  for  hu- 
manity, Dr.  C.  G.  McManaway. 

What  the  Brown  Administration  has 
done  for  Prohibiton,  Dr.  A.  J.  McKel- 
way. 

What  .Prohibition  has  done  for  the 
church.   Dr.  W.   W.   Orr. 

What  Prohibition  has  done  for  the 
laboring  man,  Rev.  Geo.  A.  Page. 

Prohibition  in  reference  to  crime, 
Mr.  J.  D.  McCall. 

What  Prohibition  has  done  for  the 
Manufacturer,  Dr.  T.  F.  Marr. 

What  Prohibition  has  done  for  the 
Country,  Mr.   H.  W.   Harris. 

What  Prohibition  has  done  for  the 
HomO,  Mr.  F.  R.  McNinch. 

After  every  three  speeches,  music 
by  band. 

THE   OLD   NORTH    STATE. 


Carolina!  Carolina!  Heaven's  bless- 
ings   attend    her! 

While  we  live  we  will  cherish,  protect 
and  defend  her. 

Though  the  scorner  may  sneer  at,  and 
witling  defame  her, 

Yet  our  hearts  swell  with  gladness, 
whenever  we  name  her. 


26 
CHORUS. 

Hurrah!  Hurrah!  The  Old  North  State 

forever ! 
Hurrah!      Hurrah!      The      good      Old 

North   State. 
Though    she    envies    not    others    their 

merited   glory, 
Say,  whose  name  stands  the  foremost 

in  Liberty's  story? 
Though    too    true    to    herself    e'en    to 

crouch    oppression, 
Who   can   yield   to  just   rule   or   more 

loyal  submission? 

CHORUS. 

Plain  and  artless  her  sons,  but  whose 

doors  open  faster, 
To  the  knock  of  the  stranger  or  tale 

of   disaster? 
How  like  to  the  rudeness  of  their  dear 

native  mountains, 
With    rich    ore    in    their    bosoms,    and 

life    in    their    fountains. 

CHORUS. 

And  her  daughters,  the  queen  of  the 
forest  resembling, 

So  graceful,  so  constant,  yet  to  gen- 
tlest  breath   trembling, 

And  true  lightwood  at  heart;  let  the 
match  be  applied  to  them, 

How  they  kindle  in  flame!  Oh,  none 
know  but  who've  tried  them. 

CHORUS. 

Then  let  all  who  love  us,  love  the  land 

we  live  in, 
As  happy  a  region  as  on  this  side  of 


27 


Heaven, 
Where  Plenty  and  Freedom,  Love  and 

Peace  smile  before  us; 
Raise  aloud,  raise  together,  the  heart 

thrilling  chorus! 
CHORUS. 


FINALE. 
"Horn,      Sweet     Home,"      by      Steel 
Creek  band. 


[Addenda.] 
Feby.    5th,    1908. 


Immense    Investments    in    Real    Estate 

It  is  estimated  that  more  than  a 
million  dollars  has  been  invested  in 
Charlotte  real  estate  within  the  past 
three  months.  The  day  seldom  pass- 
es but  that  some  new  deal  in  Char- 
lotte dirt  is  reported.  Rumors  are 
flying  thick  and  fast  as  to  options, 
investments,  profits  and  the  like.  The 
subject  uppermost  in  the  public  mind 
just  now  is  the  wonderful  increase 
in  the  value  of  Charlotte  property. 
The  figures  are  soaring  skyward  and 
there  is  no  indication  of  cessation 
in  the   wonderful  advance. 

A  propos  to  the  many  purchases 
and  counter  purchases  of  Charlotte 
real  estate,  the  following  story  is  told 
of  two  traveling  men,  who  are  sup- 
posed to  have  their  homes  in  the 
city. 

They  were  making  several  towns 
in  upper  South  Carolina  and  met  at  a 
point  far  removed  from  civilization. 
The    one    asked    the    other: 

"When  did  you  leave  Charlotte?" 


28 


The  other  replied  in  a  matter  o£ 
fact  tone,  that  he  had  been  absent 
a  whole  week. 

"Well,  you  had  better  get  home  and 
look  around.  Property  has  been 
changing  so  fast  that  you  wouldn't 
know  who  owned  the  town. 

The  story  is  not  so  far  off  after 
all. — Charlotte  Observer,  March  7, 
1906. 


House   Famine   in   Charlotte. 

"Of  the  600  houses  in  my  charge,' 
remarked  a  prominent  rental  agent 
of  the  city  to  an  Observer  reporter 
yesteivay,  "but  two  of  them  are 
vacant.  I  am  getting  letters  of  in- 
quiry almost  daily.  There  are  no 
vacant  houses  to  be  had  in  Char- 
lotte so  far  as  I  know."  A  few  are 
being  built,  but  these  are  disposed 
of  long  before  they  are  completed. 
If  I  had  50-  more  houses  I  could 
rent  them  without  difficulty.  Not 
only  are  there  very  few  available 
houses  for  prospective  residents,  but 
the  rents  have  been  advanced  from 
20  to  25  per  cent  during  the  past 
12  months.  The  increased  rents 
seem  only  to  have  made  the  demand 
more  pressing.  There  is  going  to 
be  a  "house  famine  in  Charlotte  un- 
less some  of  our  people  erect  more 
of  them." — Charlotte  Observer,  Nov. 
2nd,   1906. 


Great    Demand   for    Houses. 
'We    have     between     650     and     700 


29 


houses  on  our  rental  list  and  have 
not  a'  single  house  vacant  for  white 
people,"  said  Mr.  J.  Arthur  Hender- 
son, of  J.  Arthur  Henderson  &  Bro., 
real   estate   and   rental   agents. 

Mr.  Henderson  also  stated  that  his 
firm  had  only  two  vacant  ;  negro 
houses,  one  at  75  cents  a  week  and 
the  other  at  $1.25.  The  houses  rented 
'by  this  firm  range  in  price  from  $5 
to  $40  per  month,  "and  our  tenants 
put  up  spot  cash  at  the  end  of  the 
week  or  month,"  said  Mr.  Hender- 
son. 

This  is  a  splendid  evidence  of 
Charlotte's  increasing  population  and 
development  and  the  condition  of 
this  rental  agency  may  be  found 
among  all  the  other  rental  agents  in 
Charlotte.  There  is  a  constantly  in- 
creasing demand  for  houses  in  all 
parts  of  the  city.  The  tenants  are 
all  good  and  pay  their  rent  when- 
ever the  collector  comes  around. — 
Charlotte   News,    Nov.   22,    1907. 


Since  Prohibition  went  into  effect 
in  Charlotte  some  few  buildings  or 
more  than  the  ordinary  have  been 
built  and  are  being  built.  Some  of 
them    are    these: 

1.  Selwyn  Hotel — one  of  the  largest 
in   the   South. 

2.  New  Auditorium — one  of  the 
largest   in   the  South. 

3.  New  Law  Building,  owned  ana 
occupied  by  the  lawyers. 

4.  New  Y.   M.   C.   A.   Building. 

5.  Charlotte  Trust  Company  Build- 
ing— Skyscraper  at  Osborne  corner. 


30 


6.  New    Hospital. 

And  many  other  minor  buildings 
and  improvements  too  numerous  to 
mention. 


What    a     Live     Farmer    Says. 

I  know  that  Prohibition  has  been 
a  great  help  to  the  country;  the 
main  reason  is  that  I  know  there 
is  not  one-quarter  of  the  whiskey 
used  .in  the  country  that  used  to  be 
used.  People  have  a  great  deal  more 
money  now  than  they  once  had  as 
they  save  it  and  do  not  spend  it  for 
liquor.  W.    W.    ELLIOTTE. 

What    a    Splendid    Man    Says. 

Everything  is  going  on  quiet  in  my 
neighborhood  and  there  is  no  drink- 
ing, and  the  neighborhood  is  on  the 
best  boom  since  I  knew  it,  and  i 
know  Prohibition  has  been  beneficial. 
J.    W.    FREEMAN. 


What  a  Member  of  One  of  the  Oldest 
Falilies  in  the  County  says: 
My  opinion  of  Prohibition  is  past 
writing;  it  has  been  so  beneficial,  i 
am  thoroughly  convinced  it  has  help- 
ed everything — morally  and  physically, 
mentally  and  financially.  The  differ- 
ence to  me  is  so  great  there  is.  no 
way  of  expressing  it. 

N.    SUMMERS    ALEXANDEu 


What    the    Best    Farmer    in    His    Sec- 
tion   Says. 
There   has   never   been   anything   in 
our  country  that  has  been  more  bene- 
ficial   than    Prohibition.     I  .  have    not 


31 


seen,  to  my  recollection,  a  person 
in  my  neighborhood  under  the  influ- 
ence of  intoxicants  since  Charlotte 
went  dry.  I  have  noticed  a  great 
and  good  difference  in  Charlotte. 
J.    WASH    DUNN. 


What    a    True    and    Tried    Man    Says. 

I  have  not  seen  a  man  coming 
home  from  Charlotte  hollowing  and 
whooping  since  Charlotte  went  dry — 
it  was  a  common  thing  before,  it  is 
a   blessing  to  the   country. 

A.    HOPE    STEWART. 


What     a     Younger     Farmer    Says. 

I  think  Prohibition  has  done  a  great 
deal  of  good.  The  people  I  used  to 
see  going  home  drunk  and  staggering 
along  tne  public  roads,  now  go  home 
sober  with  the  money  they  once 
spent     for     whiskey.     I   think     it      a 

good  thing  they  ran  it  out  of  Char- 
lotte. J.    T.    SWARINGEN, 


What  a  Good  All-Round   Farmer  Says. 

Prohioitioh    is     a    blessing    to     the 
man   that   never  drank   a   drop;    it   is 
a    blessing  to   the   man  that  did,   and 
is   a   blessing  to   the   community. 
C.    GIBSON. 

What   an    Excellent    Citizen    Says. 

I    am    in    a    position    to    see;    I    am 
on   the  public   road,  and  right  at   the 


32 


forks  of  the  road.  Prohibition  has 
helped  both  this  and  Gaston  county. 
You  can  not  put  down  for  me  too 
strong  language  the  good  it  has  done. 
We  can  get  hands  to  work  on  Sat- 
urdays on  the  farm;  and  we  used  to 
not  be  able,  as  they  went  to  Char- 
lotte and  often  drank  and  spent  their 
money.  S.  W.  BEATY. 

What    a     Hard-working    Farmer    Says. 

I  think  Prohibition  is  doing  much 
good  for  the  country.  It  has  helped 
the  country  people  a  great  deal— 
they  don't  come  to  Charlotte  and 
stand  around  and  drink,  as  they 
used    to   do;    it  has  helped   me. 

C.  T.  COX. 


What    a     Hard-working    Colored     Man 
Says. 

I  borrowed  on  my  home  March  4, 
1901,  jpoO.00.  I  was  drinking  ana 
very  often  in  the  guard  house  in 
the  city  of  Charlotte,  and  was  un- 
able on  account  of  drinking  to  pay 
the  $30.00.  "Vv  hen  prohibition  went 
into  enect,  Jan.  1st,  1905,  I  was  able 
to  sober  up  and  saved  my  money  and 
paid  on  the  debt,  Feb.  6.  1905  $20.00, 
Sept.  15th,  1905,  $10.00,  Oct.  11th,  1905, 
balance  $7.40.  Prohibition  has  help- 
ed me,  and  although  an  humble  col- 
ored .man,  I  give  this  testimony. 

his 
ALFRED     X    WATSON 

mark 
Witness:    R.    L,.    SING. 


Photomount 

Pamphlet 

Binder 

Gaylord  Bros.  Inc. 

Makers 
Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

PH.  JAM  21,1908 


UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


00039567478 


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